Morris Minor Owners Club

hello ,im new to this forum and this is my first post .my grandpa kindly let me take care of his much loved moggy splitscreen when hes finished using it.hes had it for around 30 years ,been arround the world in it,and its very close to my heart ,im neary 30 and offered to restore the car and keep it in the family forever.
my question is as follows ,i have the original engine 803cc/gearbox ,what tools do i need for rebuilding the engine?
is it simple for me to do my self(im a panel beater by trade)but have limited engine know how
what color is the engine/gearbox originally and here do i get the paint from?
and i have 3 gearboxs spare but i dont know which one goes with the 803 cc engine,how do i find out?
also he has a bigger engine in it ,not sure which one !but is it worth having the original engine/gearbox in the car ?
thanks for your time
baz.

Welcome to the Forum! The engines are all 'AF'(across flats) spanner size - so you need some ring keys and sockets in the range 7/16" AF up to 5/8" AF for most of the engine . Some larger ones for the relief valve and the timing chain sprocket if you are going inside.....The original 803 gearbox has no gearshift 'extension' - and is worked from a 'magic wand' type lever that pokes through the floor quite far forward under the dash. Obviously for originality the 803 should be in the car - but it is miserably slow (and very fragile!) but probably has the best chance of economy if that's important to you!

bmcecosse wrote:Welcome to the Forum! The engines are all 'AF'(across flats) spanner size - so you need some ring keys and sockets in the range 7/16" AF up to 5/8" AF for most of the engine . Some larger ones for the relief valve and the timing chain sprocket if you are going inside.....The original 803 gearbox has no gearshift 'extension' - and is worked from a 'magic wand' type lever that pokes through the floor quite far forward under the dash. Obviously for originality the 803 should be in the car - but it is miserably slow (and very fragile!) but probably has the best chance of economy if that's important to you!

thanks.looks like il be buying some new tools then!! .il be totally rebuilding the engine as its been sat unturned for 20 odd years.i think il rebuild the 803cc and gearbox and keep safe ,and keep the engine thats in it at the moment in the car.saying that im not sure what to do ,i wont be using it everyday when the car is complete and power is not the most important thing to me .grandpas morris is full of great and unforgetable memories

Pistons for the 803 may not be easy to find. What engine is in the car at the moment?

bmcecosse wrote:Pistons for the 803 may not be easy to find. What engine is in the car at the moment?

im hoping the pistons are ok .i think a strip down/clean up ,see if it has unleaded valve seats ,replace all seals rings bearings and build it back up .easier said then done he says .tbh i havnt a clue whats in it at the moment ,as im only just getting my head around it ,i dont even know what variation there are engine wise.il try to get some pics up tomorrow of the spare engines and gearboxes i have ,hopefully someone might know what engines are what and gearboxs.

A Series engines for the Minor are 803 which has a canister oil filter screwed into the side of the block, 948 with 950 cast into the side of the block near the front tappet chest cover and 1098 with 1100 on a plate on the same side of the engine.
The 803 gearbox has a long gear lever and smooth case, 948 has a short lever and smooth case, 1098 has a short lever and ribbed case.

Don't worry about 'unleaded' - you don't need it........ The crank in the 803 is 'tiny' - not sure about bearing shell availability.... Take care not to strip down anything you can't get replacement parts for!

mike.perry wrote:A Series engines for the Minor are 803 which has a canister oil filter screwed into the side of the block, 948 with 950 cast into the side of the block near the front tappet chest cover and 1098 with 1100 on a plate on the same side of the engine.
The 803 gearbox has a long gear lever and smooth case, 948 has a short lever and smooth case, 1098 has a short lever and ribbed case.

here are the engine/gearboxs i have .i havnt cleaned them up yet ,i will be selling the odd few and keeping 803cc and box !! to fund restoration of the car.the first i think is an 803cc gearbox??[frame][/frame]

number 2[frame][/frame]

number 3[frame][/frame]

number 4 looks unused or reconed.[frame][/frame]

now for the engines
number 1[frame][/frame]

number 2[frame][/frame]

number 3[frame][/frame]

gearboxes (in picture order):
948
803
948
803

Engines
948 (or it's a 1098 with a 948 backplate)
803
803

If you read Mike's description you will be able to tell them apart.

rayofleamington wrote:gearboxes (in picture order):
948
803
948
803

Engines
948 (or it's a 1098 with a 948 backplate)
803
803

If you read Mike's description you will be able to tell them apart.

thanks , i was going to clean them and take a closer look ,then il get the ones i dont want on the parts for sale section ,how much do these parts go for these day??

The two boxes without the gear shift extensions may be 948 boxes - not possible to tell. You should hope so - because the 948 box is much stronger than the 803 box! The answer to what they sell for is - not a lot ! They are not exactly the most desirable units - I would say keep them for spares if you are going to run the car.

The 803 and 948 gearboxes are the same strength, as far as I know. They looked the same internally when I took mine apart. It's just that the 948 box has different ratios. The ribbed 1098 box is stronger though, with a better case and different synchros. Still, with an 803, I don't think the gearbox will break too quickly!

I believe the 803 box is very much weaker - but a 948 box can be used with the 'magic wand' gear stick - and no one will be any the wiser.

I would suggest checking the ratios on the 803 and 948 boxes - the big problem with the 803 box is that the gear ratios were designed for the much lighter Austin A30 - when applied to the heavier Minor you have the problem of 3rd gear being too close to 2nd. In practice this means on a steep hill you will be constantly shifting between 3rd and 4th. As BMC says you can remove the remote mechanism from the 948 box and from the outside it appears identical to the 803. If you do this hang on to those 803 boxes though! They are as rare as Rocking Horse Poo!

But then - only desirable if you actually WANT some rocking horse poo - or an 803 box with weak syncro and hopeless ratios.....

bmcecosse wrote:But then - only desirable if you actually WANT some rocking horse poo - or an 803 box with weak syncro and hopeless ratios.....

Or a lovely original car even...

Even then - no-one will know you have the 'better' 948 box in there........

HI all just sorted out some bits and looked for engine numbers ,cant seem to find them , where are they and what side?

Small plate riveted to the block just to one side of the thermostat housing - also '950' cast in the left side of the block if it's a 948, or a small plate with '1100' stamped in in - if it's a 1098 engine.......

all the above engines and gearboxes are for sale pm me if interested